Heart Palpitations

[Chrissy364]

I get extremely intense palpitations and chest pain every day now. A little
less then two months ago on June 19th 2009 I had my first panic attack. I
went to Urgent Care and got a chest x-ray and an EKG. I thought something utterly terrible was wrong, but everything came back normal. They said it was all caused by anxiety. Well all symptoms pretty much went away for a while until July 25th, when I had my second panic attack. The symptoms haven't gone
away since that day and I'm still experiencing them very strongly today on
Aug 5th. I can barely walk the very short distance from my bedroom to my bathroom without a racing heartbeat. I just went to a primary care doctor yesterday for the first time in almost ten years. The Dr. asked me many questions about my lifestyle and ordered that I had blood work be done on me; I have not gotten the results back yet. I have another appointment in a week for more tests I’m hoping so I can try and get to the bottom of this. In truth, I don't eat very well and I don't get an adequate amount minerals being a picky eater and a vegetarian. And I developed some very bad habits this year. All of my junior year I pretty much got only three hours of sleep a night because I was up doing homework. Then In the morning, being extremely tired, I had a large Red Bull. This cycle went on till the very last day of school.  On top of that, I ate very starchy foods like pasta, bread, and potatoes. I also drank a ton of diet soda every single day. But once school got out I started sleeping much longer everyday; sometimes even twelve hours a day. So I was obviously much more relaxed. But then came the panic attack on June 19th. After I went to Urgent Care, I was told to get off the caffeine. I did and now I only drink diet soda without caffeine. I hate coffee and only drink tea when I’m very anxious. But my symptoms are worse then ever.  They are just so severe I feel it has to be caused by something far worse then anxiety.  I get dizzy, out of breath, chest/rib pain for very long periods of time, sore muscles, back pain, inner and outer body tingles, and extremely fast, terribly freighting heart palpitations that last all day and night. I feel I'm having a heart attack!!! But the thing is, I'm only 17 years old! I'm just so scared I'm dying! I get these terrible palpitations and chest/rib pain every day now. It is the worst when I wake up in the morning, but it still is bad all day long and all night. I fear I'm just going to die of a heart attack or some heart related problem that the Dr. hasn’t found yet; or a heart problem that won’t be discovered till I’m already dead or in critical condition.  But as I just said, I'm only 17. I really hope its all just anxiety, because I know that many symptoms of anxiety and stress seem like heart related problems. But they just feel so real and freighting; I'm seriously going out of my mind every second of the day thinking I'm dying! I'm scared all the time and cry constantly because I just don't know what to do. I know worrying about my problems isn’t helping anything, especially if it is indeed just anxiety, but I can’t help thinking about my symptoms when they are so constant and so terrifying. When I went to Urgent Care June 19th and the Doter's Office yesterday on Aug 4th, my heart rate was 100 beats per minute. Which they said was a little high but still in the normal range. They said that the non-normal range was higher then 120 beats per minute. Like I said, I don't eat very well but I am fit, not overweight in the least bit. I also exercise not too often, but often enough. I don't drink or do any drugs. I also normally have normal blood pressure. I feel I'm just so young to be having such serious symptoms. My uncle who is 53 just had a heart attack recently, but other then that I do not have a history of heart problems in my family. I do not know my father at all, so if there are heart problems on his side of the family, I am unaware of them. Can I have anything like Coronary Artery Disease, Heart Attack, or Heart Disease at such a young age? Did all of the caffeine I drank in my childhood/adolescence possibly have an effect on my heart? And if  the caffeine possibly did have an effect on my heart, is it life treating? I just don’t know what’s wrong with me and I just feel so in the dark and so terrified all the time. I feel like I’m loosing my mind. I’m just about to start my senior year, and dealing with all of this is really starting to interfere with my life. Please, anyone who can give me some advice or anyone who goes through the same thing please let me know. Some hope and peace of mind is very much needed. Thank you.

[Chrissy364]

Thank you for your advice! I really appreciate it. To know that other people go through the same thing is very converting. And just hearing that I need to relax makes me feel a whole lot better. I will definitely try Vitamin B Complex and Valerian Root. Thank you so much!

[knsarge127]

First of all take a deep breath. Everything is ok i'm sure. I'm a 20 year old female and for almost 2 months now I have been having the almost the same exact symptoms as you... and just like you I freaked out. I got myself so freaked out I was afraid of eating food at all.

What you really need to do is find a way to relax. My doctors checked my heart and told me everything looks normal. But they mentioned that I may have costochondritis- which is inflammation of the cartilage in your ribs... so maybe you should look into that. But I can give you some tips on what to do to relax.

I would try some breathing exercises when you feel anxious or have a little pain. Inhale and count to 8, hold it for another 8, then exhale slowly for 8. Do it at least 4 or 5 times.

I would also keep some generic pain killers. I take 2-400 mg Ibuprofen only when I feel pain and it relieves the pain quickly.

I would start taking a Vitamin B complex. Vitamin B helps with stress and anxiety. I've noticed a big change since I've started taking it.

You can also take an herbal supplement called Valerian Root. It is usually used as a sleep aid... but unlike nyquil or prescription sleep aids, it does not make you drowsy nor put you to sleep. It simply helps you calm your body and relax better so it can also be taken during the day.

All of these can be found at a pharmacy and are fairly cheap.

Just remember to try and relax, listen to music, talk to a friend or family member, go for a walk... whatever you can do.

I hope this helps!! Good Luck!